1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trailers, and more particularly to trailers that have removable cross members, and can be used for transporting equipment such as boats and the like.
2. Prior Art
In the prior art various trailers have been provided which are used for boat hauling. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,065 shows a boat trailer which has front and rear wheels on side frame members. The wheel supports for the rear have self-contained jacks and when coupled to the frame will raise and lower the frame relative to the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,791 also shows a semi-trailer that operates in substantially the same manner.
Trailers also have been advanced which can be changed in lateral width. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,734 shows such a trailer which has linkages and a hitch pole, which can be manually adjusted to cause the side frame members to be moved inwardly and outwardly toward each other and pinned in place. The pins in this particular device are pneumatically actuated cylinders. Another form of adjustable width trailer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,409 which has a central pivot at the leading end of the trailer and a cross cylinder that may cause the two portions of the trailer to move about the central pivot. Further, the supports for the trailer in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,409 are provided with vertically actuated hydraulic cylinders that permit supporting the front portions of the frame on the ground. A further type of adjustable width wheels for a trailer that are mechanically latched in two positions is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,345. The wheels of the trailer are near the rear portion, and the wheels themselves can be moved from a working position to a narrowed position through pivoting link assemblies. The frame of the trailer, however, is not adjustable.
It should also be noted that the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,442,409 and 3,539,065 disclose cross members or beams for the trailer, which are supported in apertures in the longitudinal beams and are merely slid in and out of position spanning the space between the beams.